2022 Resolution: Shopping my own bag and SLG collection. Anyone else?

[Katinahat]

2 Aug - brand showcase: A-F
4 Sept - brand showcase: G-L
11 Sept - brand showcase: M-R
18 Sept - brand showcase: S-Z
25 Sept - totes
2 Oct - satchels
9 Oct - crossbodies inc WOCS
16 Oct - shoulder bags
23 Oct - bucket bags
30 Oct - clutches
6 Nov - backpacks
13 Nov - bags that don’t count
20 Nov - pairing bags with shoes
27 Nov - pairing bags with other accessories
4 Dec - bag storage
11 Dec - SLGs
18 Dec - charms

Challenges:
Sept - bags in different locations
Oct - Halloween: wear orange or black bags
Nov - International Merlot Day: wear wine coloured bags or pair bags with wine.
Dec - use the bag.

 

[Bag peace]

I prefer not to plan much, just make a list of the things I want to see/do most and make a schedule as I go. I want most to see and experience how locals live…slice of life. I also like to be able to stay longer doing something if it interests me or leaving quicker if it doesn’t. It worked beautifully in Paris and for Italy we are only planning how long each stop will be and where we will stay.

This is how I do it, too. I like the adventure of not having it planned out, and just going off the beaten track when I'm in a place. There will be specific things I'll know I want to do before going (a certain landmark or event) but beyond that, I just turn up, walk around, talk to locals and see where it all takes me.
Of course, I'm also the type to move countries with only $300 to my name and trust that I'll figure it out when I get there, so my take on travel is hardly the stress-free way to do it!
I look back on the number of times I was in a place where nobody spoke English, or I was invited to dinner (and accepted) in some local's house whom I'd just met, or stranded on the wrong island unable to find a way back, and it absolutely baffles me that I never got into serious trouble as a young, foreign female, traveling alone before mobiles and the internet were a staple. I've been very lucky!

We've had medical emergencies twice in the last three years. One year DH had a heart attack that nearly killed him, and another year I fell and broke my arm and hip, and had surgery. I've been sick on an international cruise and it was not fun, and a little scary as I couldn't get off the ship to go to a hospital as quickly as I would have liked.

This makes my heart drop. They're the worst possible experiences.

Afterwards I wrote to the seller thanking them for the literally very sweet box of chocolates

Good luck on rehabbing your lovely new additions...BUT more importantly, were the chocolates yummy? They look like mini mousse cups!

 

[Bag peace]

How do you rehab patent leather? That's something I've never been successful with.

Afaik, you can't. You have to steam off the top layer of plastic, which invariably pulls the surface of the leather underneath with it. Then you rehab the leather and adhere a replacement layer of plastic on top. The process would render the final piece structurally inferior in every way, assuming that you managed to do all that without tearing the leather entirely in the process.
Most people will paint over the patent and use a high-sheen top coat to mimic the patent look, but of course, the whole bag is then another animal entirely and the portions worked on will stand out.

@papertiger seems to have a lot of tricks up her sleeve with regards to care and maintenance. I'll bet she can chime in on this subject!

 

[whateve]

This is how I do it, too. I like the adventure of not having it planned out, and just going off the beaten track when I'm in a place. There will be specific things I'll know I want to do before going (a certain landmark or event) but beyond that, I just turn up, walk around, talk to locals and see where it all takes me.
Of course, I'm also the type to move countries with only $300 to my name and trust that I'll figure it out when I get there, so my take on travel is hardly the stress-free way to do it!
I look back on the number of times I was in a place where nobody spoke English, or I was invited to dinner (and accepted) in some local's house whom I'd just met, or stranded on the wrong island unable to find a way back, and it absolutely baffles me that I never got into serious trouble as a young, foreign female, traveling alone before mobiles and the internet were a staple. I've been very lucky!


This makes my heart drop. They're the worst possible experiences.


Good luck on rehabbing your lovely new additions...BUT more importantly, were the chocolates yummy? They look like mini mousse cups!

It's the unexpected things that happen with traveling that are the ones you remember. We love talking to locals. Often we find out about something to see or do that we didn't read about. We've been invited to people's houses too. Sometimes when we took a wrong turn we discovered something wonderful.

 

[Cordeliere]

My mom used to plan every minute of a trip. DH and I plan our trips loosely. We have a vague idea of the route but we don't know how long we will stay in each place and only make reservations one or two stops ahead of where we are. This is traveling within the US. We probably won't travel internationally again. We drive and go at a slow pace, never driving more than 400 miles a day, and usually less. We've had medical emergencies twice in the last three years. One year DH had a heart attack that nearly killed him, and another year I fell and broke my arm and hip, and had surgery. I've been sick on an international cruise and it was not fun, and a little scary as I couldn't get off the ship to go to a hospital as quickly as I would have liked.

That sounds like a wonderful way to travel. I fantasize about a slow RV trip across the Northwest or through Canada.

I prefer not to plan much, just make a list of the things I want to see/do most and make a schedule as I go. I want most to see and experience how locals live…slice of life. I also like to be able to stay longer doing something if it interests me or leaving quicker if it doesn’t. It worked beautifully in Paris and for Italy we are only planning how long each stop will be and where we will stay.

We did the same thing in Paris. We were there 3 weeks and stayed in the same ABNB. That is a great kind of vacation. Hardier for us to do on multi city. We expect to take more of those kinds of vacations after we polish off our bucket list of countries.

Experiencing how the locals live is the best. That was what we enjoyed about the Bedouin camp. Seeing all the families having their Seder dinners at the picnic tables.

Clearly our method of travel is a little insane, but it works for us. When we see news stories on TV about things happening in other countries, we really like being able to understand the physical layout of the video footage and understanding the context. This trip has helped me understand the Israeli Palestinian conflicts in a way that I never could have without seeing it and hearing about it first hand from people of both stripes. While I didn't write about it, we took a private tour to Ramalah because we wanted to see how the Palestinians lived. It has all been a case of one picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[papertiger]

I'm glad they weren't damaged. I'm so OCD about packing up my sales that I could never include a package of chocolates. I would be afraid the chocolate would melt all over the purses.

How do you rehab patent leather? That's something I've never been successful with.

Depends on what the issue is. Patent can crack or craze if too dry, 'melt' if too hot (happened with a vintage Gucci) or go dull and matte. All ways the best thing to do immediately is to take it out of where it is and see if it can self-regulate. A polish with silicones can help restore shine and lessen the appearance of crazing. It can also help remove the dust/dirt sticking to the patent if it's gone soft.

For a start, just to store: Don't ever store patent leather in a dust-bag or box or enclosed space.

I love my vintage Gucci heirloom (1969) but it's the most difficult bag I own, and if I didn't have a personal connection with it I think I would have got rid of it. Gucci can't fix the patent, refuse to take the patent off and I'm too nervous.

 

[papertiger]

Afaik, you can't. You have to steam off the top layer of plastic, which invariably pulls the surface of the leather underneath with it. Then you rehab the leather and adhere a replacement layer of plastic on top. The process would render the final piece structurally inferior in every way, assuming that you managed to do all that without tearing the leather entirely in the process.
Most people will paint over the patent and use a high-sheen top coat to mimic the patent look, but of course, the whole bag is then another animal entirely and the portions worked on will stand out.

@papertiger seems to have a lot of tricks up her sleeve with regards to care and maintenance. I'll bet she can chime in on this subject!

I can chime in on anything, but not always usefully

 

[Cordeliere]

This is how I do it, too. I like the adventure of not having it planned out, and just going off the beaten track when I'm in a place. There will be specific things I'll know I want to do before going (a certain landmark or event) but beyond that, I just turn up, walk around, talk to locals and see where it all takes me.
Of course, I'm also the type to move countries with only $300 to my name and trust that I'll figure it out when I get there, so my take on travel is hardly the stress-free way to do it!
I look back on the number of times I was in a place where nobody spoke English, or I was invited to dinner (and accepted) in some local's house whom I'd just met, or stranded on the wrong island unable to find a way back, and it absolutely baffles me that I never got into serious trouble as a young, foreign female, traveling alone before mobiles and the internet were a staple. I've been very lucky!

I like your style.

 

[papertiger]

I went out Thurs on a (posh) site-visit and had the opportunity to wear my new Gucci all-black BTH along with my practical, ever-faithful Evie. Looked great in the evening when I went to see an exhibition/dinner at the Mandrake hotel (think luxe contemporary-gothic).

In the middle of the day I tried some jewellery at Asprey, although they didn't have the bracelet or earrings I really wanted to try on (my fault - it was an impromptu visit). I also looked at work bags (such pretty colours). Asprey made the famous red case that our (UK) Chancellor carries on budget day, and they are mostly famed for bags and boxes besides jewellery. They had more casual laptop cases, I looked at cranberry, light-grey and lapis, or this proper red briefcase, one of the nicest briefcases I've ever seen. No strap though.

I have always had a thing for nice briefcases and work bags, even more than handbags. I guess because I spend most my 'out' going to and from work. I was going to buy an Hermes Box Sac Depeche 'one day' new or preloved, but I think I prefer this. The question is, would I get enough use out of it. Recently, my favourite baggage combo for work is my Evie, laptop sleeve in a tote, usually handheld because my work laptop is old and heavy.

What are your feelings/requirements towards work bags? Do they count? Do you care about the appearance of the bag as much as your handbags? Do you care about the appearance as mush as the practicality.

Other pics are on my phone which is being charged but here's a couple I already uploaded to my laptop. Old one of my BTH. I think it's a lucky bag for me, I certainly feel great carrying it.

 

[BowieFan1971]

I went out Thurs on a (posh) site-visit and had the opportunity to wear my new Gucci all-black BTH along with my practical, ever-faithful Evie. Looked great in the evening when I went to see an exhibition/dinner at the Mandrake hotel (think luxe contemporary-gothic).

In the middle of the day I tried some jewellery at Asprey, although they didn't have the bracelet or earrings I really wanted to try on (my fault - it was an impromptu visit). I also looked at work bags (such pretty colours). Asprey made the famous red case that our (UK) Chancellor carries on budget day, and they are mostly famed for bags and boxes besides jewellery. They had more casual laptop cases, I looked at cranberry, light-grey and lapis, or this proper red briefcase, one of the nicest briefcases I've ever seen. No strap though.

I have always had a thing for nice briefcases and work bags, even more than handbags. I guess because I spend most my 'out' going to and from work. I was going to buy an Hermes Box Sac Depeche 'one day' new or preloved, but I think I prefer this. The question is, would I get enough use out of it. Recently, my favourite baggage combo for work is my Evie, laptop sleeve in a tote, usually handheld because my work laptop is old and heavy.

What are your feelings/requirements towards work bags? Do they count? Do you care about the appearance of the bag as much as your handbags? Do you care about the appearance as mush as the practicality.

Other pics are on my phone which is being charged but here's a couple I already uploaded to my laptop. Old one of my BTH. I think it's a lucky bag for me, I certainly feel great carrying it.

View attachment 5386721

View attachment 5386694

Work bags count, since they could also be used for other things. While construction really matters because they definitely have a job to do, i think looks matter as much, if not more, than for a personal bag. It is the bag you carry every day and is part of your work uniform. Uniforms are chosen with care by employers because they speak about the people who wear them and they will be seen by everyone you work with eventually, possibly even customers/stakeholders/etc. What if you have a job where precision and organization matter and you have a busted up, bulging at the seams tote? Or you have a job that has a lot of responsibility and you are carrying a cloth grocery bag or plastic Target bag every day? Of all your bags, it is the one that has to say what you want to project about who you are at work, how you want to be seen. That doesn’t necessarily mean designer or expensive…think a Birkin carried by a social worker…unless your career matches that. But it should always be good quality and in good repair. Beyond that, totally depends on you.

 

[Cordeliere]

Work bags count, since they could also be used for other things. While construction really matters because they definitely have a job to do, i think looks matter as much, if not more, than for a personal bag. It is the bag you carry every day and is part of your work uniform. Uniforms are chosen with care by employers because they speak about the people who wear them and they will be seen by everyone you work with eventually, possibly even customers/stakeholders/etc. What if you have a job where precision and organization matter and you have a busted up, bulging at the seams tote? Or you have a job that has a lot of responsibility and you are carrying a cloth grocery bag or plastic Target bag every day? Of all your bags, it is the one that has to say what you want to project about who you are at work, how you want to be seen. That doesn’t necessarily mean designer or expensive…think a Birkin carried by a social worker…unless your career matches that. But it should always be good quality and in good repair. Beyond that, totally depends on you.

I agree totally.

Sparkletastic once said about buying buyings: the intersection of practicality and love.

@papertiger. I don't know exactly what you do but it seems like it is in the fashion field. For you it has got to have both. BTW--I want a life where I get to go to places that are luxe contemporary gothic.

 

[papertiger]

I agree totally.

Sparkletastic once said about buying buyings: the intersection of practicality and love.

@papertiger. I don't know exactly what you do but it seems like it is in the fashion field. For you it has got to have both. BTW--I want a life where I get to go to places that are luxe contemporary gothic.

I do my job

Here are some of the pics from that evening:

Apologies for the same of the pics but I had to cut some faces/people out

1. chandelier in reception dressed in hair (it took 158 hours to make and 32 hours to put up) and that was over the existing chandelier
2. tree dressed in hair
3. Chimera in the restaurant
4. toilet washrooms

 

[papertiger]

Work bags count, since they could also be used for other things. While construction really matters because they definitely have a job to do, i think looks matter as much, if not more, than for a personal bag. It is the bag you carry every day and is part of your work uniform. Uniforms are chosen with care by employers because they speak about the people who wear them and they will be seen by everyone you work with eventually, possibly even customers/stakeholders/etc. What if you have a job where precision and organization matter and you have a busted up, bulging at the seams tote? Or you have a job that has a lot of responsibility and you are carrying a cloth grocery bag or plastic Target bag every day? Of all your bags, it is the one that has to say what you want to project about who you are at work, how you want to be seen. That doesn’t necessarily mean designer or expensive…think a Birkin carried by a social worker…unless your career matches that. But it should always be good quality and in good repair. Beyond that, totally depends on you.

I agree too.

Only part of my work is within fashion, I have to meet people from all types of cultural backgrounds, mostly 'international' and be able to go to all kinds of places one after another. I represent me, my job tile and my company wherever I go. I am not a high-maintenance and/or heel(ed) lady, although I do wear make-up and jewellery, so I guess my bag/accessories have to be a little more 'polished'.

Unlike others, I don't care about my phone or gadgets so much (whole other story) which occasionally raises eyebrows, but I'd rather people put that down to eccentricity than unprofessionalism. Easier to get away with if the rest of me is a bit more 'put together'. Let's face it, it's easier to project authority if you are tall and sexism alert I guess I go for the 'graceful but quirky authority' look.

 

[Jereni]

I went out Thurs on a (posh) site-visit and had the opportunity to wear my new Gucci all-black BTH along with my practical, ever-faithful Evie. Looked great in the evening when I went to see an exhibition/dinner at the Mandrake hotel (think luxe contemporary-gothic).

In the middle of the day I tried some jewellery at Asprey, although they didn't have the bracelet or earrings I really wanted to try on (my fault - it was an impromptu visit). I also looked at work bags (such pretty colours). Asprey made the famous red case that our (UK) Chancellor carries on budget day, and they are mostly famed for bags and boxes besides jewellery. They had more casual laptop cases, I looked at cranberry, light-grey and lapis, or this proper red briefcase, one of the nicest briefcases I've ever seen. No strap though.

I have always had a thing for nice briefcases and work bags, even more than handbags. I guess because I spend most my 'out' going to and from work. I was going to buy an Hermes Box Sac Depeche 'one day' new or preloved, but I think I prefer this. The question is, would I get enough use out of it. Recently, my favourite baggage combo for work is my Evie, laptop sleeve in a tote, usually handheld because my work laptop is old and heavy.

What are your feelings/requirements towards work bags? Do they count? Do you care about the appearance of the bag as much as your handbags? Do you care about the appearance as mush as the practicality.

Other pics are on my phone which is being charged but here's a couple I already uploaded to my laptop. Old one of my BTH. I think it's a lucky bag for me, I certainly feel great carrying it.

View attachment 5386721

View attachment 5386694

I don’t count my work bag in my bag ‘total’ because I don’t see it as a handbag… the work bag gets worn everyday along with a handbag, at least for me. But I do like it to be nice. Currently I use a large Coach Borough that I’ve had for about 8 years. It’s prob on its last legs which makes me sad as it’s been the perfect work tote.

I’ve idly started looking at what might replace it. The Celine Cabas is nice but I wish it had more structure. The Polene Cabas is just about as nice as the Celine for a fraction of the price but they just sold out of the color I wanted which seems to be my lot in life with Polene.

 

[Cordeliere]

View attachment 5386749

That looks like an ostrich to me. I love it. What is it?

 

[papertiger]

That looks like an ostrich to me. I love it. What is it?

A chimera is a hybrid animal in mythology. This taxidermy hybrid has an ostrich body and snake neck/head and some other parts from different animals. There are other types of chimera around the hotel.